Ah!! So sorry for waiting so long to fill everyone in on the BIG ONE!
IT WAS AMAZING!!!!
What an experience. Let’s see, we (my mom and I) woke up super early to get to mid-town where I was taking the Team for Kids transportation. *Note: Running for charity is by far the best way to do it… you get so many perks that it makes the whole day very easy and stress-free* The bus drove us to Staten Island… I was numb to the whole thing for some reason and at this point it became more and more exciting… except my stomach was dropping a bit more and more as we turned each corner and the city became less visible. I started at about 10:20 am and running over the Varrizano Bridge with THOUSANDS of other people was the most unreal experience. There were so many people (43,000+ runners) from so many different walks of life… my favorite runners were the bubbly Italians and the Dutchies dawned in orange. Everyone came together to support each other… it was surreal.
The first half of the marathon went really well and really fast. I was not prepared for the amazing vibes from the crowds… it was so exciting and surprising! SO many people turned out!! It was so positive! I wrote my name on my jersey and that was such a boost of steam when I needed it… all of a sudden someone is screaming your name and you can’t help but continue to run strong.
At about mile 15 is when I hit a mini-wall. It wasn’t a wall that ‘holy hell I can’t do this.’ But it became more hard and more and more monotonous at this point. I reckon it’s when my body began to run off fat and no longer carbs. By this point my body was hurting. My hamstrings were tight but I didn’t want to stop running in fear that the problem would become worse as the lacidic acid built up quickly. My stomach began to hurt too. AND I know it didn’t help that at mile 15, there’s a mile long hill up a bridge…. with no one to cheer you on. However, then you hit mile 16. And what a feeling that is! Someone screamed “10 MORE!!!” And then we burst out into Manhattan. Cool.
The best signs were:
“In 12 miles, the water turns to wine.”
“Your feet hurt because you’re kicking so much ass.”
“Run like you stole it.”
Miles 16-20 were pretty monotonous and although it was only 4 miles, I got bored. Really bored. All you can do is start to people watch. That was entertaining. Whatever you can do to get you to stop thinking about your body. I was surprised how my body was beginning to react to the experience/ stress. It would go from really hot to really cold…. and I was hydrating as much as possible. At mile 20, there was some unreal vibes… as we finally got out of the teens and into the twenties. But then it started to hit that “I have 6 miles to go.. great!! But wait, that takes me an hour.. UGH!!” That was hard but the crowd’s positive vibes kept me going. They were all I had at this point.
THEN THERE’S 90th @ CENTRAL PARK SOUTH. Just when you think you got yourself back under control, you’re in the final stretch… then 90th comes. I would have preferred a cardiac hill from Boston Marathon… errr… maybe… but 90th is a slow hill with no end in sight. But then it ends in Central park… and it’s literally all down hill from there… and the crowds are amazing… and you want to cry so badly but you know you can’t because then you can’t breathe. So, you smile because that’s the only form of emotional strength you have left. It was such an emotional experience… it was amazing.
And then it’s done.
You receive a medal and a heat sheet. And a food bag. And you can’t walk. And now, you can’t cry… although you want to. Seriously, all I wanted at that point was my mom. Ya, I’m a momma’s girl. Or at least a hug. My body was seriously offended at what I just did, but I couldn’t stop smiling.
I didn’t have a single blister. Although my toe nail had scraped my other toe and there was a little blood. It’s hard to eat or drink after that, but I force myself to.
And then I found my mom. And that was seriously one of the best moments of the race… because it was done and I had run it non-stop in 4:28:25 (and I had beat Alanis Morrisette by 25 seconds) and all that training had paid off and I hadn’t run it for myself but for everyone who supported me along the journey… the whole time it wasn’t about me and it’s what will inspire me to run another one, and another one….
NYC 2010: 362 days!
(don’t worry… pictures to come!)
